Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Social Impacts

Social Impacts. Overnight injections of migrant workers will not build healthy communities and can have severely adverse impacts on existing communities, especially those of indigenous nations on their traditional lands. Such development brings vices and long term displacement too often. Drugs, alcohol and associated violence spreads. Hunting becomes difficult when the land is threatened, leading to a further loss of culture and tradition. In towns like Fort McMurray there is no planning for the future, but merely consumption in the present. However transient the individuals may be, the populations will not leave, as “development” takes on a logic all its own. All levels of run away development are subordinate to that development, not social need.

warning: Creating default object from empty value in /var/www/drupal-6.28/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.pages.inc on line 33.

Cross-border fight simmers over tar sands

David Ebner
Jun 9/ 2010
Globe and Mail

The oil sands have a new adversary: the City of Bellingham, Wash.

On Monday night, in a vote of 7-0, city councillors endorsed a resolution to
reconsider what sort of fuel Bellingham buys for its fleet vehicles, a motion
that pointed a specific finger at “high carbon fuels such as those derived from
the Canadian Tar Sands.”

The resolution is largely symbolic, since the city of 76,000 is locked into its
current fuel supply contract until 2015, but highlights the ongoing political

ERCB report shows 14 percent growth in Alberta tar sands production in 2009

ERCB report shows 14 percent growth in Alberta oil sands production in 2009
by: Government of Alberta | Jun 5th, 2010

June 5, 2010

Alberta’s Reserves 2009 and Supply/Demand Outlook 2010 – 2019

Fast Facts

Bitumen Reserves and Production

Boreal countdown

Boreal countdown
By Enzo Di Matteo
Now Toronto // June 3-10, 2010

The details of the greenprint signed two weeks ago by eco groups and the forest industry to save the boreal forest are emerging after the 39-page pact was leaked last week. Is the historic Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) as good as advertised?

We break it down in five easy pieces.

1. Burning question

The one on everybody’s mind: why weren’t First Nations included in the discussions?

Greenpeace divided on Boreal Forest Agreement

Greenpeace divided on Boreal Forest Agreement
Leaked conference call obtained by the Vancover Media Co-op exposes divergent views on CBFA

by Vancouver Media Co-op

» Download file 'gp_damage_control.mp3' (3.9MB) by going to the website:
http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/audio/3573

A leaked discussion between Greenpeace staff obtained by the Vancouver Media Co-op indicates the group is preparing damage control related to the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, which was announced on May 18.

Oil-smeared logos to match BP’s tarnished image

Oil-smeared logos to match BP’s tarnished image
Jun 04 2010

Sarah Barmak Special to the Star

Oil giant BP is already besieged by mounting damage lawsuits, a U.S. Justice Department investigation, and a tumbling stock price. Now, some want to hit the company responsible for the Gulf oil spill where it hurts: right in the logo.

A Smoking Gun in BP's Deep Horizon Mess?

Submitted by BassMan2 on 15. May 2010 - 11:31
Thom's nationally syndicated radio show

This hasn't seemed to have gotten much circulation yet, and I think it really needs to. Seems that a crew from Schlumberger, on contract to BP, hightailed it off the platform at their own expense 6 hours before the blowout becuase BP refused their recommendation to shut down the well. This lends more credence to Thom's suggestion that corners were cut because the bigwigs were coming for a vist.

Bellingham to consider limits on tar sands for government vehicle fuel

Bellingham to consider rules on government vehicle fuel
SAM TAYLOR - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
June 5, 2010

BELLINGHAM - Oil that comes from a controversial mining project in Alberta, Canada, will be in the sights of City Council members again Monday, June 7.

Councilman Jack Weiss is offering up two pieces of legislation that address how the city purchases fuel for its fleet of government vehicles as well as shifting away from fossil fuels for normal business operations, specifically from the Alberta tar sands.

NYTimes: Imagining Life Without Oil, and Being Ready

Imagining Life Without Oil, and Being Ready
Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times

Jennifer Wilkerson’s preparations for a post-petroleum world include growing her own food and stockpiling supplies against any shortages.
By JOHN LELAND
June 5, 2010

As oil continued to pour into the Gulf of Mexico on a recent Saturday, Jennifer Wilkerson spent three hours on the phone talking about life after petroleum.

Protesters filmed at Alberta upgrader hearing

Protesters filmed at Alberta upgrader hearing
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 |
CBC News

(CBC)Private landowners who protested outside a public hearing into an bitumen upgrader northeast of Edmonton Tuesday were filmed by security guards hired by the project proponent, French energy giant Total S.A., CBC News has learned.

"What are they so afraid of?" landowner Anne Brown asked on Wednesday. "Why are they taping us?"